


expecting petroleum

by bukkunmoonsin (bukkunkun)



Category: Heneral Luna (2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, Love Confessions, M/M, Magic-Users, Studying, lmao yung title ang tagal ko talagang pinagtawanan
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-15
Updated: 2015-11-15
Packaged: 2018-05-01 17:29:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,629
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5214527
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bukkunkun/pseuds/bukkunmoonsin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It was NEWTs season again and while he’s so used to studying nearly all the time, there are those chances when Apolinario just wanted to throw in the towel and call it a day.</p>
            </blockquote>





	expecting petroleum

**Author's Note:**

> [original post here](http://bukkun-moonsin.tumblr.com/post/132874245473/expecting-petroleum).
> 
> If you're curious about the Re-Imagined Hogwarts, take at look at **[this](http://bukkun-moonsin.tumblr.com/post/132936154283/hogwarts-au-notes)** and **[this](http://bukkun-moonsin.tumblr.com/post/132993670458/more-hp-au-notes)**.

It was NEWTs season again and while he’s so used to studying nearly all the time, there are those chances when Apolinario just wanted to throw in the towel and call it a day. Or a week. Maybe an entire month. Sometimes academic stress really isn’t all that worth it; sometimes Apolinario wants to just  _throw_  that  _Magical Beasts and Where to Find Them (In The Tropics, Volume 2)_  right out the window, half-hoping it’d hit someone he wasn’t particularly fond of halfway down.

Then there were people like Manuel (Quezon, not the quiet, stalwart, older Bernal) who, for God knows what reason, always seemed to be taunting him with _never studying_  but somehow  _ending up in the space right under his name anyway_ and in all honesty, anyone like that easily drives Apolinario up the wall.  _Especially_ when he can see them all over the place. Hell, he’d take Emilio Jacinto over him _any day_.

That afternoon, Manuel was sitting with his friend Sergio, and he was—what the hell, was he  _brandishing_  the Varawak Quidditch cup  _again_? What. A dick.

Apolinario sighed deeply, and turned away from the library hut’s window to face away from the Keeper to keep his mind on other things.

 _The Tikbalang. Found in the forests, usually in the mountains. Humanoid, with horse parts replacing those meant to be human, such as the legs, and face_.

“You seem to be studying particularly hard.” The familiar, warm voice of another Emilio in Apolinario’s life, spoke up, and he looked up to see Emilio Aguinaldo smiling at him, carrying his own set of books for his own set of OWLs study material.

“And you, young man, are not.” Apolinario replied curtly, but moved aside his books and papers and quills to let Emilio set his things down. “Your OWLs are next year. You should start preparing for them while it’s still early.”

“Well, you should learn to relax every once in a while.” Emilio replied simply, reaching over to not-so-quietly slam one of Apolinario’s open books ( _Hexes, Curses and the Use of Kulam Magic_ ) shut. The paralytic glowered at him, petulant, and Emilio started closing his other books.

“I haven’t kept my pages yet, Miong.” He sternly said, and the younger grinned wider.

“Well, then. Watch this.”

He waved his wand, and the pages in the open books he had yet to close fluttered, and dog-eared at the corner, before shutting quietly. Apolinario looked on, impressed, and nodded. “You’ve been learning well.”

“What can I say?” he replied, smug, “I’ve got the best tutor.”

At that, a small smile managed to make its way to Apolinario’s lips.

“Ha, I got you to smile, Pole.” Emilio chuckled, “You should do that more often.”

“Oh, and risk my enemies falling in love with me?” he replied, “Heavens, _no_.”

At that Emilio laughed a little too loudly, earning them both a sharp hiss of a “shh!” from the librarian. The two looked at each other, and Emilio grinned at him.

“I’ve found somewhere I want to show you.” He declared. “Let the house dwarves get our books for us—I’m going to be taking you somewhere.”

“Miong, you know as well as I do I’m going to need house dwarves to get to places,” Apolinario deadpanned, but then he saw his tutee break out his wand again, a wide grin on his face, and he began to mildly panic. “… Miong? What are you going to do with that wand?”

“Just hold  _very_  still, Pole. I’ll be able to do this properly if you don’t squirm about.”

For a brief, horrifying moment Apolinario thought the younger was going to attempt Apparating him to wherever it was he wanted to, but his head stopped screaming in panic when he saw that characteristic  _swish_ -and- _flick_ , and—

“Wingardium leviosa.”

Slowly, carefully, Apolinario, and his chair lifted off the ground, until Emilio had brought him floating about a foot off the ground. The paralytic blinked at Emilio, but the younger was too busy concentrating on keeping the spell steady and safe, as slowly they left the library hut. Apolinario stayed carefully still, as Emilio walked deeper into the forest, until somehow even Apolinario, him with his wonderful sense of direction, found himself losing track of which trees they had passed by. He began to panic, as Emilio simply kept walking, and he had had enough by the time they passed the nth identical  _balete_ tree.

“Miong,” he didn’t expect his voice to shake like that, but it  _did_ , and Apolinario almost regretted ever speaking. That  _did_  get the younger to stop walking, though, and slowly, his chair was set down on the forest floor. “Wh-where are we?”

Emilio looked at him carefully, before flushing a little. “The surprise.”

“We’re in the middle of the forest.” Apolinario deadpanned, and Emilio laughed shakily.

“… Not exactly.  _Tabi po_.”

At the mention of those two tiny words, Apolinario’s world turned dark, and there was a long moment of shock before he realised what happened. Suddenly there were stone walls around them, and they were in a rather roomy hall in what looked like the ruins of a Spanish castle. He blinked, alarmed, and he turned to look at Emilio.

“Where are we?” he asked again, now just awed, and Emilio’s lips curled up into a kind smile at Apolinario’s wonder.

“ _Ang Bulwagan ng Pangangailangan_.” He replied softly, taking a seat next to Apolinario’s chair on the cold stone floor. “I found this place a while back, when you taught me that spell for when those soul-suckers would ever appear.”

“Dementors, Miong. They’re called Dementors.”

“Ah, right.” The younger nodded. “I just… I know you’re not the affectionate kind of person, so I thought I’d show you something.”

Apolinario looked down at him, blinking confusedly, and Emilio stood up. His expression was set, and he looked tense, and the older couldn’t help but feel a little worried.

“I managed to do it, Pole. I made a Patronus appear.”

At that, Apolinario’s eyes widened in shock. “Wait, a—”

Emilio smiled at him softly, and murmured, “Expecto patronum.”

Light burst from the tip of Emilio’s wand, and Apolinario had to shield his eyes from the light. When it got bearable, he dared open them, and found a huge eagle perched on the armchair of his seat, ethereal and silver, talons larger than his thin fingers, and taller than a small child.

A  _haring ibon_. It fit Emilio rather well.

Apolinario blinked, and lifted his hand to the Patronus. It lowered its head, and while Apolinario’s hand went right through the wisps of silver that was the bird’s head, he couldn’t help but smile in amazement.

“It’s… beautiful, Miong.” He managed. “I’m… I’m in awe.”

The younger smiled sheepishly.

“Even I can’t conjure something as corporeal as this.” Apolinario continued. “You… how long have you been practising?”

“Ever since you taught it to me. I wanted to try it every day, to get it perfect, but I couldn’t find the right place to do it; until this place showed itself to me.” Apolinario blinked at him quietly, and he chuckled. “This place shows itself to those who need it most. I used it as a practice spot for my Patronus.”  

“Is that so,” Apolinario murmured, and Emilio nodded. “Well, that’s well and good, Miong, but if you’re able to summon it like this—don’t you have any need for this place?”

“Well, I asked for its help one more time before I could stop using it.”

Apolinario blinked at him.

“I wanted its help with—ah.” Above them, flowers started blooming from the ceiling, and he laughed sheepishly, nervous tones obvious. “Well. That.”

“That, what?” Apolinario asked.

“I just… I wanted to—” Emilio hesitated, and his Patronus nudged his arm ineffectively with how intangible it was. He looked down at the bird, and sighed. “I wanted to tell you something important, Pole.”

He knelt down at Apolinario’s feet, and took the paralytic’s hands in his.

“I know you’re busy studying for NEWTs but I know that if I don’t say it right now I never will, because I’m still a little drunk and I don’t know if what I had was really Felix Felicis—”

“You had  _what_?”

Emilio didn’t answer him, and instead leaned forward to give him a peck on the cheek.

“… I like you, Pole.” He murmured, embarrassed, and when he pulled away, his cheeks were red. “There, I said it.”

Apolinario gaped at him. “… I…”

“I know, you probably don’t return my feelings, but in the very least please don’t be mad at me, I just—”

He stopped when he felt Apolinario’s hands curl around his own ones, and squeezed them gently.

“No, Miong. It’s… okay.” He replied after a long moment of silence. “It’s just… strange. This. Happening.”

“Do you mind it?”

“Not entirely, no.” Apolinario answered, “But—Miong. I don’t know if I—”

“No, I’m fine with it,” Emilio grinned, “You can take all the time you want thinking about how to answer me. I can wait, I promise.”

The paralytic looked at him with defeated eyes, but gratefully remained silent. The two of them looked at Emilio’s Patronus, which was now more than a cloud of wispy silver, and he sighed.

“I don’t hate it.” He replied, “But I do like you very much too, Miong.”

At that, the younger’s face broke out in a wider grin, and he squeezed his hand.

“That’s good enough for me.” he replied simply, and all he got was a squeeze in return.

Later, Apolinario remembers to ask him what memory he used to summon a Patronus that strong, and Emilio simply laughs and gives him a single answer:

“I simply remembered the day I first met you.”


End file.
